The Hidden Danger
by Fanfic from a half-blood
Summary: Albus and Scorpius were more than capable of getting themselves into trouble, as they had proved in their first year. (See cursed Child). This year they were determied it would be better, and Rose was determined to keep them in check, or at least try to. However, it wouldnt be easy...after all, trouble always had a funny way of finding anyone involved with the Potters
1. A Dursley Shaped Surprise

It was the start of Albus Severus Potter's second year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, and as he boarded the scarlet Hogwarts express from platform 9 3/4 his mind started racing with the events of the year before. He, and his friend Scorpius had stolen his Auntie Hermione's time turner, in order to try and save Cedric Diggory, who had been killed by Voldemort in the tri-wizard tournament. This had not gone down well with anyone concerned, especially as Auntie Hermione was Minister for magic. He told his brother, James Sirius, who was a year older than him, and of course a Gryffindor, that he was going to find his friends and started walking along the compartments, looking for a place to sit. He found Scorpius Malfoy in a compartment near the end of the train on his own, and though he favoured spending time with his cousin, Rose Weasley-Granger, on this journey as a rule, Albus decided Scorpius could do with some company. After the adventure they had shared together the previous year, it seemed only fair that Albus provided that company. Albus and Scorpius waved goodbye to their parents as the train started billowing smoke, and settled down for the journey.

They sat together for a while, avoiding discussing the events of last year as much as possible. They chose instead to talk about their summers. Albus told Scorpius that he had learnt his Father (who was none other than wizarding war hero, Harry Potter) had a cousin, Dudley Dursley. His father had grown up with Dudley, but Albus had never met him. Dudley and his wife Amelia had two girls, Nalia and Aurora . The oldest was Nalia, she a year younger than Albus, and although both her parents were muggles, she had been born a witch. She had received her Hogwarts letter on her 11th Birthday, and as a result the shocked Dudley told his wife about his cousin, Harry Potter, who was a wizard. After taking some time to process the new world they were about to enter they made some decisions. They decided they did not want to let their precious darling Nalia down and Dudley, who had since matured and had a lot of time to reflect,did not want to put her through what his parents put Harry through. So as a result, he got back in touch with his estranged cousin.

No one had been shocked more than Albus, when this big brute of a man, with a pot belly, blonde hair and almost no neck turned up at the door with his wife and two children behind him. His wife had blonde hair as well and a slender but curvy figure, with a kind smile and Hazel eyes . The two children, hiding slightly behind their father, both had their parents blonde hair. The younger of the two had a slightly more sturdy look about her, and her mothers Hazel eyes. The older of the two was slightly tall for her age, and very slender. Her blonde hair fell In soft waves around her heart shaped face and she stared out of piercing blue eyes . The Brute of a man cleared his throat and asked, in a voice that hardly differed from a series of grunts, 'Does..erm...Harry Potter... live here.' Albus called to his father who greeted Dudley and his family with a huge smile. 'Ah, it's about time, Professor McGonagall had told me she had given you my address and I might expect a visit, come in Big D' his father said with a smirk, and Dudley turned bright crimson. Albus didn't understand the joke and as he was relaying this to Scorpius, he didn't either.

Albus continued to explain that the Weasley-Granger And Potter children all fought for a spot at the door to the kitchen, where the Dursley family had been led by his father and mother (Ginny Weasley). His Auntie Hermione (Minister for Magic) and Uncle Ron, or Ronny as Albus liked to call him, followed them and closed the door behind them. As the tallest James had won the best listening spot, the keyhole, despite Albus' protests. Rose had listened at the gap where the door hadn't quite met the frame, and Albus had lay on his stomach and tried to listen through the gap under the door. The youngest of the Potter children, Lily Luna, hopped around trying to find a space. He recalled that they all heard the conversation that ensued, regarding the owl Nalia had received and the visit the next day from head of Gyffindor house and Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall. At this point both Albus and Scorpius shuddered at the thought of Professor McGonagall making house calls.After what seemed like forever, everyone had emerged from the kitchen and piled into the living room. The children had all been introduced to the Dursley family and his father had explained that Nalia would be joining James,Albus and Rose at Hogwarts. In addition, a week before term started she would be coming to stay. This was so she could come to diagon alley and collect her school things with them and ultimately board the Hogwarts express.

Nalia had indeed come to stay with the Potters , and arrived the day before the trip to Diagon Alley. She had shared a room with Lily,even though there was a guest room. His fathers logic behind this was that it gave the girls a better of becoming friends and it may make Nalia more comfortable to have a girl close to her own age around. Also, it was likely Lily would be joining them all at Hogwarts in two years, so it would be good for her to know more people. When Rose stayed over, which was quite regularly, the girls all had a massive sleepover in Lily's room,which they found to be great fun. In fact, Albus had often been kept awake by the loud giggles and noise coming from Lily's room, which he complained about at great length to Scorpius.

That years trip to Diagon Alley had been notably different Albus decided. His father and mother had taken him, Rose, James, Lily and Nalia all together as Auntie Hermione would be too busy to take Rose. The anniversary of The tri-wizard tournament was once again coming up, and Auntie Hermionie was kept busy with preparations. Albus did not know this of course, all he knew was she was busy with ministry business. His Uncle Ronny was busy As well, helping Uncle George in Weasley's Wizard wheezes, which had just opened a mail order service. This news came much to the delight of Hogwarts pupils and the despair of Hogwarts professors. The first stop had been Olivander's in order to buy Nalia her first wand. The wand that chose Nalia had been birch, 12 inches, Thestral hair,nice and supple, 'Great for charms work' Olivander had declared, as a soft glow had surrounded Nalia when she raised the wand. The next stop was Flourish and Blotts where they brought all of the school books for Nalias first year, Rose and Albus' second year and James' third year. One of the books required had been Fantastic beasts and where to find them, which must mean that second years were going to be studying care of magical creatures Albus and Scorpius decided. Nalia had been treated to a book on quidditch, signed by the England Quidditch team, so she could join in the conversations about quidditch. Albus recalled her delight when the players started waving at her from the photograph on the front cover, which amused the others, who had grown up around that sort of thing.

Albus had recently given his Ferret to his younger sister, as the ferret seemed to like her a lot more. As a result of this, his father had taken him to Eeylops Magical Owl emporium, which despite its name, sold all sorts of magical pets, not just owls. Albus had immediately noticed a handsome eagle owl, in the cage behind the counter. It had its head tucked behind one of its wings,but at the sound of Albus' voice, it had raised its head and stared at him through bright yellow eyes, making a soft clicking noise. His father brought him the Eagle Owl, who Albus decided to name Newt, after Newt Scamader, who Albus admired very much. At the mention of his name, Newt sat up in his cage, and ruffled his brown feathers. They had an almost gold tinge round the edge in the sunlight passing through the train windows. He hooted proudly, and stared at Scorpius, who decided Newt was indeed a very handsome owl.

Scorpius himself owned an owl, Autumn, who was in its cage next to Newt. His owl was a female Great horned owl, a white and grey colour, unusual for its species. The two birds playfully clucked at each other through the bars of the cage.Just then, the trolley witch came round to their compartment, interrupting Albus' story. She tapped their compartment door, slid it open and said 'Anything off the trolley dears?'. The boys, who were ravenous, had six chocolate frogs, two pumpkin pasties, liquorice wands, fizzing whiz-bees and three cauldron cakes each. The arrival of the trolley had signalled that they were half way through their journey and the sun had started fading, so while there was still some light, the boys got into their slytherin robes. This was to avoid any improperly fastened clasps,backwards jumpers or inside out cloaks, which no doubt would earn them a scolding before the term had even properly started.

Scorpius was enjoying hearing about Albus' summer and his big family, so he asked Albus to continue telling him about the trip to Diagon Alley. Between mouthfuls of delicious treats, Albus continued. He informed Scorpius that just as his father had finished paying for the eagle owl, a small pure white kitten had started curling round Rose's feet. After much 'Pleaaaaase Uncle Harry', Rose had been brought the white kitten, who Albus had said looked more like a guinea pig than a cat. Rose had named the kitten Whiskers, and it stayed in her pocket asleep through the rest of their trip round Diagon Alley. Nothing had taken Nalia's fancy so they left the shop.After the rest of their serious shopping was done; cauldrons, potions ingredients, brass scales, and a broom care kit for Rose and Albus, who were finally aloud their own brooms, they paid a visit to his Uncles at Weasleys wizards wheezes . Scorpius decided it sounded like a wonderful place as Albus described the bright colours, the wizards and witches laughing their heads off, the assortment of sweets that if you ate them could do anything from make you sick, to sprouting nasty boils, the multitude of other prank based magic and even some magical creatures. As they walked in, Uncle Ron and Uncle Fred had stopped working on their display of a tasteless potion that could turn anyone's hair bright pink for at least a week, and came over to greet them. Rose had run up and given her father a hug, and Uncle George had started chatting away to Albus' father. Albus and Nalia proceeded to wonder round the shop together, looking at things that had given Albus some brilliant ideas that he shared with Scorpius. Exploding toilet seats, a quill that made your writing disappear after an hour (really useful for teachers Albus and Scorpius decided), and miniature indoor fireworks that spelt out any word you wanted. Right at the back were the animals, and Nalia had instantly fallen in love with a new type of Pygmy puff, whose fur changed colour. This breed of Pygmy puff, once it had bonded well with its owner, matched its fur colour to their mood. At that point Albus' father had come along, and quite amused by the thought of Nalia taking a colour changing Pygmy puff home to Dudley, brought it for her, along with an enchanted glass carry case, which was bigger on the inside than it looked. They all returned home shortly after, with all their things, to eagerly await the First of September when they would board the Hogwarts express from platform 9 at 11 0'clock.

Albus then listened to Scorpius talk about his summer. Scorpius had spent most of his summer at Malfoy Mannor with his Grandparents, Narcissa and Luicius Malfoy, or Grandad Luci and Nanny Cissy as Scorpius called them. On the huge grounds he had flown around, no higher than the tree lines, practicing in the hope of being chosen for the quidditch team this year, but aside from that he had not done much. In fact, he told Albus, his main source of company had been the white peacocks that patrolled the grounds. Albus made a mental note that he must ask his father if Scorpius could join them for Christmas this year, so his Christmas would not be as miserable as his summer.

Just then, the compartment door opened and Rose entered, taking a seat next to Albus. She was followed by a rather shy looking girl, who Scorpius assumed must be Nalia. Albus introduced Nalia to Scorpius, who took a seat next to him. Rose had her Gryffindor robes on, and Nalia had her plain black first year robes on. Albus pondered on this and couldn't help thinking how strange two slytherins, a gryffindor and a first year must look sat together and being so friendly. They had some food left over, and introduced Nalia to the joys of chocolate frogs. The Pygmy puff, who Nalia had named Lucky, turned bright yellow and started hopping up and down on her shoulder as she ate her chocolate frog. The wizard card Nalia got was Newt Artemis Fido Scamander, much to the envy of Albus. Rose Insisted that it was really rare and that Nalia MUST start collecting.Nalia voiced her concerns regarding her Hogwarts house, and the trio assured her that no matter what house she was put in, she would make friends and would most certainly always have them to keep her company. There had already been a shock to the system when a Potter had ended up in slytherin, so they assured Nalia that nothing would be a surprise anymore. As Albus once again described to her the attributes of each house, Nalia could not help but think that she would quite like to be in Hufflepuff, Just, loyal and unafraid of toil.

The four of them carried on nattering away until the train started slowing down, which was a sign that they would be arriving shortly. Newt and Autumn started flapping wildly in their cages, so Scorpius and Albus let them out and they flew out the train window. At this, Nalia started panicking, thinking the owls would be hurt or lost, but they reassured her that it was perfectly ordinary for owls belonging to witches and wizards to go and stretch their wings, but they would assuredly come back. That is why Owls were often used for post.The train came to a complete stop, and as Nalia reached for her luggage, she was told not to worry, as her luggage would be taken to her dormitory for her.

The four left the train and stepped down onto the platform, which was in complete darkness. They were greeted by Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds, and also the care of magical creatures professor. He gave them a smile and a wave, at which point Nalia went pale, and shouted 'Firs' years follow me... look lively now...firs' years...'. Nalia had not wanted to be separated from her friends but had no choice, as she and the rest of the first years were led to a lake, where many boats were waiting. The first years boarded the boats, 'No more'n four to a boat' as per Hagrids instructions. As though the boats were being rowed by someone invisible, they started gliding silently across the lake, and Nalia got her first glimpse of the castle, that would become her second home.


	2. The Strangest Thing

Meanwhile Albus, Rose and Scorpius headed in the direction of the carriages that were waiting lined up in pairs along the path. They clambered in to one of the carriages, and were joined by a rather nervous looking second year Hufflepuff, Dedrius Lovegood. He had shoulder length white hair and watery blue eyes. He was wearing an elven gold headband, which came to a point in the centre of his forehead and on his shoulder was a white dumbo rat, barely distinguishable from his hair. He was clutching a copy of The Quibbler, which as always, came with a free pair of spectrespecs. The carriages set off along the long winding path, as if being pulled by horses that could not be seen. Rose informed them that it was being pulled by Thestrals that could only be seen by those who had witnessed somebody dying. Albus found this to be rather depressing. He was cheered up almost immediately however by Whisker pawing at Rose's flaming red hair, and taking a tumble from her shoulder, to her lap. This caused Dedrius' rat to squeak in terror and run down the back of his robes. Scorpius also allowed himself a slight smirk at this, as Dedrius performed some sort of seated jig in order to recover his rat.  
The carriages eventually pulled up outside the gates to Hogwarts, and the students piled out of them. As they approached the gate, there was a general murmur of confusion. Where the students would normally walk straight through and up the long cobbled path to the castle, they were greeted by Filch the caretaker, who was wearing a rather nasty grimace. He informed the students that he was instructed to check them for anything that may cause trouble or general disruption around the castle. Albus couldn't help but feel sorry for Nalia,who on her first day at Hogwarts, must have had to go through some sort of similar process when the first years vacated the boats the other end of the lake.  
The students formed a que and one by one, had their robes and general personage checked by Filch. A dark haired Ravenclaw fourth year girl had several bags full of nosebleed nougats, Tonne-tongue toffee, puking pastilles, feinting fancies and fever fruities confiscated, and looked thoroughly miserable as she walked through the gates. A few more students were searched, and Gryffindor third year smirked as he passed the gate. Nothing had been found on him other than a quill, which looked altogether uninteresting so it had not been taken. Albus immediately recognised it as one of the disappearing quills from Weasleys Wizards Weasley's. The Slytherin fifth year In front of Albus had several rather large dung bombs confiscated and then it was Albus, Rose and Scorpius' turn. Filtch eyed them all suspiciously, and warned them he would be keeping a special eye on them, but as he found nothing untoward on any of them, he had no choice but to let them past. As they walked through the gate, they noticed Fitch's cat, Mr Gibbous. It was a huge black thing, which was more like a hairy pig. Mr Gibbous stared at them through unnerving green eyes, and let out a low, evil hiss. Scorpius, Rose and Albus all exchanged a look which said they were all resisting the urge to give him a good kick. Albus couldn't help but wonder if his father had this much trouble with Mrs Norris, Flich's old cat that had been killed during the infamous battle of Hogwarts. Filch often waxed lyrical about Mrs Norris, and how she was the bravest and most noble cat the world had ever seen.  
They continued up the long path to the castle. Rose said that it was the strangest thing that people were being searched on the gates and a long discussion ensued about why on earth they had all had to submit to this 'invasion of privacy' as Scorpius had branded it. By the time Albus and Scorpius had finished ranting about how much more difficult getting Zonko's or Weasley products into the castle was going to be, with Rose periodically rolling her eyes, they were walking through the entrance of the castle. As they entered, the great hall was on their left, so after quickly taking bets on which house Nalia would be placed in, they hurried into the hall, said their goodbyes and went to sit on their house tables, ready for the start of year feast.  
Nalia and the rest of the first years were waiting nervously in a room under the castle, getting quieter and quieter the more time went on. Letting her nerves get the better of her, Nalia started feeling quite sick and dizzy. She then gave herself a good talking to. After all, her new friends, Albus, Rose and Scorpius had assured her there was nothing to be scared of, and all she had to do was try on a hat. As she was telling herself all, of this, silvery figures started coming through the walls. The figures were clearly men and women, but how had they come through the wall, why were they see through and why were they flying...surely they weren't, they couldn't be could they? All of these questions went whizzing through Nalias mind, but her suspicions were confirmed when a tall boy with mousse brown short hair, swept to the side, spoke to one of these figures. 'Hey... I know you! You're in Hogwarts, a history, 5th edition! You're Nearly Headless Nick, Ghost of Gryffindor tower!'. 'Its Nicholas DeMimsy Porpington to you young man!' He said rather sharply. 'But yes, I am the ghost of Gryffindor tower...first years' he sighed, and glided through the opposite wall.  
Just then, a tall, slender witch with white spiky hair, and piercing yellow eyes, burst through the door and the room fell silent. 'I am Madam Hooch, deputy headmistress, and head of flying and quidditch here at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Through the door behind me is the great hall. You will proceed silently and in an orderly manner, to the front of the hall when I direct you. Your names will then be called, in last name alphabetical order. When your name is called, you will sit on the stool at the front and the sorting hat will be placed on your head. It will choose your house, which you will keep throughout your time at Hogwarts, and you may then join your classmates at the appropriate table'. Something in the tone of Madam Hooch's voice told Nalia that she was not a witch to be messed with. Madam Hooch then went on to explain the house point system, which was simple enough. Good behaviour and achieving well would earn you house points, rule breaking and disruptive behaviour lost your house points. The house with the most points at the end of the year won the cup. Her head swimming with thoughts of flying, house points, houses and sorting, Nalia lined up with the rest of the first years , and as Madam Hooch held the door open and beckoned them, they all walked into the great hall.  
Nalia gasped as she took in all the bright colours and banners, some with snakes, others with badgers or an eagle, and some with a roaring lion. The ones behind the long table at the front had the Hogwarts crest and moto, 'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus' emblazoned on them. Nalia did not know what this meant but was sure Draco had something to with dragons, and resolved to ask Albus or Rose about the motto and what it meant. It was then Nalia noticed the ceiling, pitch black with shining stars, the occasional comet could be seen shooting past. The stars were almost as bright as the enchanted candles floating neatly all around the great hall. She marvelled at the beauty of it all. Amongst the sea of faces she saw Rose at the table under the red banners with the roaring lions on them, that must be the Gryffindors. Rose gave her a reassuring wave and smile, which mad Nalia felt a little better.  
At the front of the hall, up a short set of stairs, an old, tatty witches hat. Nalia was very confused, how could this hat possibly tell them which house they were in? Just as Nalia was contemplating this, the rip in the seam near the brim of the hat opened and the hat started singing.  
'Those new to Hogwarts and you who return,  
Heed my words and try to learn.  
Though this school will bring its share of toil,  
Your spirit and happiness it will not spoil.  
In one of the four houses you shall find your place,  
So do your best to work hard and keep up with the pace.  
To all the students old and new,  
You, these lucky chosen few,  
Through your time here, you will will be shown,  
In Hogwarts, you shall always have a home'.  
The hat bowed and the great hall erupted into applause, and though Nalia found a singing hat to be quite odd, she was sure it would not be the strangest thing she saw during her time here.  
The throng of first years got smaller and smaller as they all tried on the hat and got sorted into their houses, Nalia spotted Albus and Scorpius near the front on the table under the green banner with a winding serpent on. That must be the slytherin table. Scorpius spotted her and gave her a sly wink, at which Nalia felt herself blush as she looked down at her feet and smiled.  
Detheridge, Malissa was sorted into Ravenclaw and the table under the blue banners with the eagle burst into applause. Diggle, Dawlish became a Gryffindor, causing the Gryffindor table to whoop and cheer. Dugworth, Lionel became a Slytherin, and the Slytherin table, including Albus and Scorpius celebrated. Then it was Nalia's turn. The whole hall stared at Nalia, who had of course arrived with Albus and Rose, so everyone knew she was somehow related to the Potter's.  
Now, Nalia did not know much about the wizarding world, however, from the reactions Cousin Harry (or Uncle Harry, as Nalia liked to call him as he had been so kind to her), received when they were out and about in Diagon Alley, the Potters were famous. They had not been able to go anywhere without Uncle Harry having to stop and chat or shake hands with at least three or four witches or wizards. Although this had confused her a lot, at the time she had not thought to question her Uncle Harry or her new friends about it. Right at that moment she wished she had.  
She felt herself getting more and more anxious as she walked up the steps to for the sorting ceremony. She kept thinking to herself about the various expectations she must meet, being related to a Potter. And what if she didn't fit any of the houses? What if she wasn't brave enough for Gryffindor, intelligent enough for Ravenclaw, cunning enough for Slytherin or hard working enough for Hufflepuff? What if this was all some big joke being played on her? The walk to the stool seemed to take forever and her feet felt heavier than usual, but Nalia eventually made it, though the was not quite sure how. She sat down and looked out on the sea of faces, eagerly waiting to find out the hats decision. She could have even sworn she heard her Uncle Harry's name whispered several times.  
The hat was placed on her head by Madam Hooch and she immediately started to hear a small voice, which appeared to be debating with itself. 'Hmm, you have the cunning and ambition to make a good Slytherin. Wanting nothing more than to make your father proud. You certainly have the bravery and courage to fit nicely into Gryffindor, unphased by this entirely new world. Your intelligence would suit Ravenclaw... but what do you value most...hard work, yes...and patience...and your loyalty to your family... i think... yeeees, HUFFLEPUFF!'. Nalia felt a sigh of relief escape her, and the hat was lifted off her head.  
As she headed to the Hufflepuff table, under the yellow banners, emblazoned with badgers, she heard Albus, Scorpius and Rose cheering above everyone else. Although, she thought, she could see a slight look of disappointment on Scorpius' face. Had he been hoping she would be in slytherin with him?


	3. The Man Shaped Cat

The sorting ceremony was over, and mass chatter ensued as people got to know their new classmates. Some first years moaned about the house the hat had put them in, or boasted that they knew they would be in that house because that house was the best. This all of a sudden ended when Professor McGonagall stood up, walked to the eagle shaped book stand and cleared her throat. 'Welcome to another year, or indeed your first year at Hogwarts. During your time here, myself and the other Professors expect your behaviour to reflect the reputation of dignity, class and decorum this school has earnt. Especially, as this year some of you will be representing the school in another country'. Whispers across all four tables added to the air of suspense that statement had created. Albus couldn't help but think McGonagall had a flair for the dramatic, and would probably in the muggle world have made an excellent theatre coach. She glared at the hall over her half moon spectacles and the hall fell silent. 'Many of you know about the great tradition of the tri-wizard tournament, and the tragic death of Cedric Diggory, which ended the tri-wizard tournament for many years. Our Minister for Magic, Mrs Hermonie Weasley-Granger, has been working tirelessly to reinvent a safer tournament and has decided to allow it to take place'.  
Nalia was taken aback at this, Minister for magic? Did that mean there was a Ministry? Was it like the muggle government? And wasn't Hermione Weasley-Granger, Rose's mother? She had to be, the name wasn't at all common. Wizarding competitions? A death? Nalia felt overwhelmed by how little she knew, but was comforted to see she was not the only one. The students in the great hall all wore an expression of confusion, fear,excitement or awe. Scorpius and Albus had already started whispering furiously about how they were going enter the competition and be the best there.  
McGonagall continued, 'This year, four schools will be taking part, and it will known as the Wizarding School Championship. As well as Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons academy, Draíocht will be competing. As this is the first time they will be competing, they will host the competition at their school in Northern Ireland. In previous years, the school has been considered too small, but after a great increase in the population of witches and wizards in Ireland, the school has massively increased its size and student intake. Only those in your 5th year or above will be able to put yourselves forward for the competition,however students of all years will be able to come and watch and join the festivities. Remember privilege as with respect,is earned, not given. In the spirit of this, myself as head of Gryffindor house, and the other head of houses, will be choosing the students who we feel will represent the school well, and who we feel deserve this exciting opportunity'.  
There was loud groans from many of the students around the hall, who were either too young to enter the competition, or would have to behave to be considered. 'The heads of house and our caretaker, Argus Filch will be joining those who are going to Draíocht. Normal lessons will ensue between challenges and we will travel the day before the challenge returning the day after, bringing with us a handful of Draíocht, Durmstrang and Beauxbaton students with us to experience Hogwarts. This is an exciting opportunity to engage with witches and wizards from different cultures, so please don't embarrass yourselves or the school by acting like a bimbling, bumbling, band of baboons. Now, other start of term notices: Hagrid is keeping a pair of Erumpents in the care of magical creatures area'. Rose thought she could detect a note of disdain in McGonagall's voice. 'They are a breeding pair, so If you wish to keep all your limbs and your dignity, it is advised you stay away from them without Hagrid's close supervision. Students are reminded that bedtimes must be strictly adhered to, and this year, it has been decided, that during their free time, before 8 O'clock in the evening, students may use other houses common rooms for socialisation and study purposes. This is in order to encourage inter house cooperation'. There was a resounding cheer, Rose, Albus, Scorpius and Nalia beamed at each other from their house tables, and McGonagall smiled. 'Mealtimes will still be at your usual house tables in the event of special feasts, speaking of which it's about time we all ate'.  
McGonagall clapped twice and the plates up and down the tables started filling with the most delicious food from all over the world. Everything from fish and chips, to green Thai curry and jasmine rice. 'Enjoy the feast!' McGonagall said and sat down at the head table with the other professors. Over at the Slytherin table, the excitement was palpable. Scorpius and Albus were piling as much on their plates as they could and excitedly discussed the exciting news about the wizarding school championship. Albus swore that a lot of the girls from Beauxbatons had Veela blood in them, and they were most gorgeous girls you would ever see. Scorpius was more excited that Durmstrang had produced some of the greatest wizards of all time, including Quidditch legend, Victor Krum. Over at the Gryffindor table, Rose Weasley-Granger was in the middle of an intense discussion about magic from other schools and countries, particularly Irish Folklore. Would it be different, and if it was, would they be learning any of this new magic? Nalia was altogether more quiet at the Hufflepuff table, until another first year girl who was sat next to her, accidentally knocked her drink over. Nalia offered to help her clean it up, but before they could,the spillage disappeared. The girl introduced herself as Bathilda Bones. Bathilda had long raven coloured hair, that was half shaved on the left hand side. Her eyes were a Royal blue and she smiled nervously. Thanking Nalia ,she said she was glad to have met a friendly face. Tilda, as she liked to be called, was a half blood. Nalia had to have this explained to her, but in its simplest terms, her mother was a muggle, her father a wizard. The girls bonded over their food and took great comfort in the fact they would be learning together.  
Once people were finished, the food disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. It was replaced by the most tempting desserts that any of them had ever seen. Plates piled high with ice cream, profiteroles, apple pie, custard, fruit of all types and various flavours of yoghurts filled the hall with a very sweet smell, which at any other time may have been considered altogether too sickly. As people finished their desserts, the general atmosphere in the hall changed. People were quieter and more relaxed as the late time and the copious amount of food they had eaten tired them out. McGonagall stood up, thanked the house elves for the beautiful food,and conducted all of the pupils in a rendition of the school song before excusing them from the great hall and directing the prefects to take the students to their common room and show the first years to their dormitory.  
As the students were slowly making their way out of the hall, Scorpius and Albus decided they quite frankly did not want to be restricted to the Slytherin common room in the dark, damp and dingy dungeons just yet. They snuck off, miraculously undetected, among the crowd of students and hid behind a portrait of Barnaby Wulfric Bigsby.  
Behind the portrait there was a secret passageway Albus had learnt about from his Uncle George over the summer. When the general buzz of noise from students and teachers on their way to their common rooms or staff quarters had ceased, Scorpius slowly pushed open the portrait slightly, and checked through the crack for anybody who may be lingering around. Seeing no one, they decided it was safe to leave the passageway. Now they had successfully avoided being confined to the common room, they were actually not quite sure what to do. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff common rooms would not let them in at this time, so they could not go and pay Nalia or Rose a visit. Besides their common rooms were either halfway across the castle or right by the kitchens, so it was far too risky.  
Realising they had not thought this through very well at all, the boys decided to search for more of the secret passages that Albus had been told about. Of particular interest to the boys was the passageway under the one-eyed witch, which allegedly lead all the way to Hogsmeade, ending in the cellar under honeydukes. As only third years and above were aloud to visit Hogsmeade, finding this passageway would be very useful as it would allow the boys to sneak out and join the Hogsmeade visits undetected. It would also mean unlimited access to Honeydukes sweets, which was always a bonus. If they were feeling generous, they may even let Rose and Nalia in on the secret, and let them join their prohibited visits. The statue of the one-eyed witch was located under the stairs at the bottom of the astronomy tower,so Albus and Scorpius set off making as little noise as possible to avoid detection by Filch or Mr Gibbous.  
As they turned round the corner on second floor corridor, they encountered Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, taking great pleasure in switching the door signs of the classrooms to confuse the first years.  
Before they could scurry back round the corner, Peeves spotted them. 'Ooh, Wee Potty and Mouth boy are out of bed! Should tell McGonagall I should', Peeves shouted whizzing above their heads. 'You do that and I'll tell Filch it was you who swapped the class signs!' threatened Albus, who seemed altogether unphased. He knew if he told Filch, the Bloody Baron, ghost of Slytherin house, would be summoned. The Baron was the only thing Peeves was afraid of. Conceding a loss on this occasion, Peeves dropped all of the door signs he was holding, which made an awful clatter. He then made a very rude noise, directed at the boys, and disappeared into the upstairs corridor. Feeling quite smug that they had successfully managed to deal with Peeves, the boys continued on their mission. Suddenly they stopped dead. They saw, right at the other end of the corridor they were now in, a shadow. It was the shadow of what appeared to be a rather tall, lanky man. Not sure who it was, the boys stood frozen, fearing they were about to be caught by one of the professors. 'What do we do Albus?', Scorpius asked, panicked. Before the boys could figure out a plan, the shadow appeared to shrink and change. It was replaced by the shadow of a rather large cat. Confused, the boys stood watching the shadow, wondering what could have made it. As if from nowhere, Mr Gibbous appeared by the shadow and growled at them. He glared at the boys then ran, presumably to get Filch. They did not hang about to find out, and raced back along the corridors and down into the dungeons, finally arriving in the Slytherin common room.


	4. The Most Powerful Magic

The next day, Nalia awoke to the sound of rain lashing against the dormitory window. She stared at the curtains round her four poster bed, which were the same yellow as the Hufflepuff badge, stretched herself out and thought about today's schedule. She would have breakfast in the Great Hall, which was served at 8 O'clock, then it was First year induction with head of house, Professor Sprout, also head of something called Herbology. That would start at 9:15 and last all morning until lunch, again in the great hall at 12. She would have Herbology with Professor N. Longbottom in greenhouse three at 1:15 until 2:15. Then she would study charms with Professor Flitwick at 2:30-3:30, after which she would be finished for the day. Dinner in the great hall would be served at 6, and official lights out was 10:30, but they had to get back to their own common rooms at 8. She drew the curtains to see that Tilda was already up, and scrambling to find something.

Cursing slightly, Tilda did not notice Nalia was awake, until Nalia said 'Lost something Til?'. Tilda jumped slightly with surprise and once she had realised it was only Nalia said, 'Yeah my glasses, I need them for writing and reading, and they've gone'. Nalia offered to help look, so together they turned the dormitory upside down looking for the glasses, until Tilda fell about laughing. 'You HAVE to see this Nal!' She said between fits of laughter. When Nalia turned round to look, she saw her Pygmypuff, Lucky, was bouncing up and down on an empty bed, wearing Tilda's glasses. Once the girls had managed to stop laughing long enough to get themselves ready, they showered and got dressed into their robes, which had been folded neatly and put on the chest at the end of their beds overnight. They had also gained a Hufflepuff badge on the right hand side, and their ties had also gone from plain black to yellow and black striped.

Once they were ready, they checked the time and it was only 7 O'clock , so they settled themselves down in the common room for half an hour. In the excitement and darkness of the night before, Nalia had not had time to take in the beautifulness of it.

Light shined through the two beautiful, circular stained glass windows, high up on the wall, and filled the common room with a warm glow. Shelves filled with plants surrounded the circular room, and created a beautiful aroma of fresh earth and flowers. Some of them were the strangest plants Nalia had ever seen, but luckily, her first year book list had contained a book called 'Mysteries of the magical plant, by Huckleberry Shrub', so she was sure she would learn all about them. Nalia wondered if the authors name had always been Huckleberry Shrub, or had she changed it when deciding to specialise in magical plants? The girls sat down in comfy armchairs, which were each covered in black and yellow blankets, in front of a constantly burning fire, above which hung a portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. There was also a three-seat sofa you could sit on, scattered with cushions that had the Hufflepuff emblem stitched onto them, and comfy yellow bean bags scattered around provided the rest of the seating. Several bookcases interrupted the lines of shelves, and were filled with books. Some were brand new, others had clearly been left in previous years, and were full of additional notes, underlining and highlighted important parts. Knowledge, she decided, was the most powerful magic she would find at Hogwarts as it would just keep growing. Almost all of the books were on the history of Hogwarts, Helga Hufflepuff, Care of Magical Creatures or Herbology. A wooden table and chairs, able to seat six people was set in the corner and it reminded Nalia very much of a dining room table that you would do your homework on in a house. The common room had such a warm, cosy feel to it that one couldn't help but to feel instantly at home.

Nalia and Tilda headed to breakfast together at 7:30, negotiating the mass of students all headed in different directions. 'Hey Tilda, fancy seeing if my friends Rose, Albus and Scorpius are about? We could have breakfast with them if you want?' Nalia suggested. Tilda, who was eager to get to know as many people as possible, thought it sounded like a great idea. When the girls arrived at the great hall, Scorpius and Albus were already sat at the Slytherin table, and Rose had just joined them. Nalia couldn't help but blush when Scorpius looked up from the table and smiled at her. His white hair was messy but attractive and his blue eyes were bright and mischievous, giving the impression he was always up to no good. He has seemed genuinely happy to see her. Nalia and Tilda joined Rose, Scorpius and Albus at the table, just as the plates started piling up with breakfast food, croissants, buttery toast, cereals, sausages and bacon, the smell of which reminded Nalia how hungry she was. She introduced the gang to Tilda and started piling up her plate with food,also sneaking some to Lucky, who was in her robe pockets.

'So get this…' started Scorpius, 'last night we were doing a little exploring while everyone was in their dormitory'. This earnt him and Albus a rather stern look from Rose. Scorpius carried on as if he had not seen the disapproving look; 'and we were by the statue of the one eyed witch at the bottom of the astronomy tower yeah? We see this weird shadow right, and we think we're about to be busted by Filch or one of the professors'. Nalia was hanging on to his every word. Albus interrupted, 'Then the weird shadow started shifting and changing, and you'll never guess what, it turned into a cat's shadow. So we're there, confused as hell, and then, Mr Gibbous runs from by the shadow, out of NOWHERE!'.

'You shouldn't have been out of the common room to see that!', Rose chastised them. 'Don't you want to go to Ireland?! Besides, what if that had been something to do with the tournament? Shapeshifting takes some powerful magic, and if what you saw really happened, it's not a good thing. You need to be careful!'. Albus was almost sure he heard Auntie Hermione saying that, not Rose. She sounded more like her mother every day. 'Aw c'mon Rose, it was only a bit of exploring, we weren't going to do anything...and of course we want to go to Ireland! For the best adventures, you must look beyond your front door', Scorpius said, and nodded decidedly as he finished his sentence.

By the time breakfast was over, the five of them, including Tilda, had come to the conclusion that going to Draíocht would indeed be a great adventure. They were all going to try their hardest to earn a place, Rose was determined to see some more advanced magic performed in the tournament, Nalia and Tilda were just excited that in their first year such a major event was occurring, and the boys were excited to hopefully go to a school where they had never seen a Zonko's or Weasley's Wizard Wheezes product.

Breakfast was soon over and the gang all headed in different directions for their first classes of the year or their first year induction. Rose headed to charms class first, with the Ravenclaws. Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw house and charms, greeted them, whilst standing on a pile of books. The charms classroom was rather small, and quite dusty, with benches that resembled muggle church pews. Books were piled everywhere, so Professor Flitwick could stand on them to be seen by the whole class, and it was a one way in, one way out room, which could be quite claustrophobic. Flitwick was his usual overly-animated self as he taught the class the theory and proper wand movements for a charm.The charm, when executed properly, would make a string instrument play by itself, the incantation for which was 'Cantatio'. By the end of the lesson, Rose was feeling very pleased with herself, as she had managed to make her mandolin play a tuneful rendition of three blind mice. The rest of the class had only managed to prize a few dull, if any, notes out of their instruments.

Over in the transfiguration classroom, with the Hufflepuffs, Albus and Scorpius were having trouble with their first transfiguration of the year, pets into goblets and back again. '1,2,3…fereverto' McGonagall demonstrated on a raven at the front of the class. It turned into the most beautiful silver chalice and the class was awestruck. She transfigured the goblet back into a raven and directed the pupils to the page in 'Animals to objects and back again, by Gwydion Taliesin', and asked the class to practice, after reassuring one of the girls In Hufflepuff that the spell was not painful to the animals. Scorpius was practicing on his owl Autumn, however by the end of the class, the goblet he was producing still had great big wings and feathers. Albus' Owl Newt was not feeling very cooperative and Albus had a struggle to get him to stay on a perch, let alone be still enough for transfiguration. In the end, Newt settled down next to Autumn, who nuzzled herself into his chest, and the boys gave up trying. Instead they made notes on parchment to avoid a telling off from McGonagall.

Meanwhile, whilst their friends were in lesson, Nalia and Tilda were attending their first year induction with Professor Sprout. The first years of each house had their induction with the head of house in their common room at different times of the day. Hufflepuffs were first, then Ravenclaw,Slytherin and finally Gryffindor. This was to avoid major disruptions to other classes for older years. The first years who were not in their induction went to lessons, so Nalia was glad the Hufflepuffs had their induction first. The Hufflepuff first years all waited in their common room with baited breath to meet their head of house face to face. Nalia really was eager to make a good first impression, so had Tilda check that she looked presentable and had no trace of her breakfast on her. The common room was silent, other than a feint snoring sound, coming from Nalia's pocket. Apparently, full up after breakfast, Lucky had decided to take a snooze. Just then, the hatch to the room opened and In came a short, quite dumpy witch, with a brown hat and gardeners robes. Nalia noticed she had a very kind looking face as she clambered into the common room.


	5. The Owlery

'Gather round Hufflepuffs' ushered the witch. The closer Nalia was to her, the stronger the smell of earth and plants got. She was wearing gloves that were made of a thick, scaly material. Nalia was sure they were dragon hide, which she recognised from the list she had received with her acceptance letter. 'Morning first years! Look lively now, no need to look so nervous boy. I am your head of house, Professor Sprout. I am here to help you with any concerns you may have and provide general support throughout your time here. I am always contactable by owl should you need me. During my breaks and until dinner, I am often in my office by the greenhouses. For the first part of your induction we will be touring key areas of the castle and grounds. Then, we will all gather back in here to go over some more rules and more information on how those given the privilege of attending the tournament at Draíocht will be selected. I expect no lolligaging or laziness, I have a venomous tentacula in greenhouse five that cannot be left unattended for long, and I don't want Professor Longbottom dealing with alone should it get out of control, it's definitely a two man plant'. Nalia held a lot of admiration for Professor Sprout, she liked her straight forward, no nonsense manner, but she was clearly also a witch you could depend on to help you and look after you. She probably just didn't suffer foolishness lightly. 'Well come on then! What are you waiting for? Line up quickly!'. As Professor Sprout gave this instruction, the first years formed some sort of line in front of her, and she lead the way through the Round entrance of the common room.

The tour was uneventful, they had already seen the great hall, the common room and their dormitories,so Sprout showed them the hospital wing first. They were met there by Madam Pomfrey, who had become known as the unsung hero of the school after the Battle of Hogwarts. Nalia knew that Albus, in particular, held her in very high regard.

Then they were shown their classrooms, with Sprout muttering something about someone called 'Peeves' when they got to a corridor near the Astronomy tower, where the door signs seemed to be in a strange order. Next stop was the grounds to see the greenhouses, quidditch pitch, training grounds and care of magical creatures area. At the care of magical creatures area, Hagrid was taking care of what Nalia and Tilda assumed must be the Erumpents. His long, bushy, wild hair had grey streaks, and his beard, which hid much of his face, had a white stripe down the middle, reminding Nalia of a badger. 'A'right Professor Sprout, A'right firs'years! Hope you're all enjoyin' yerselves' Hagrid said as the first years approached. The smaller of the two Erumpents then nuzzled it's great glowing horn up against the top of Hagrid's head, which was quite amusing as it was twice the size of Hagrid. At this, Hagrid teared up and said 'Look Professor Sprout, she knows her mummy, ain't she beautiful?'. It was quite strange to see such a giant of a man welling up.'Mm yes, quite, anyway, moving on' Professor Sprout said dubiously, guiding them on. Even after this occurrence, the Erumpents seemed very intimidating, so as friendly as Hagrid seemed, the first years were all glad they would not be studying care of magical creatures this year.

The last stop on the tour, before gathering back in the common room, was the Owlery. This was where the owls belonging to students could sleep if they didn't want to be in the dormitories. But mainly it was where the school owls were kept, for teachers post and for students who didn't have owls to use. The owlery was a separate tower in the castle grounds, with a stone spiral staircase surrounding the outside,that had a platform at each of the six levels. There were many arch shaped windows for the birds to come and go as they pleased. 'How do you think people know which floor their owl is on?' Nalia asked Tilda as they trudged up the spiral stairs, apparently headed to the top. 'Well, I guess you just get to know where your owl likes to be I guess? Or you go to any floor and call them?' Tilda suggested. Nalia supposed that would work, provided the floors all had hatches the owls could fly through, which it just so happened, they did.

They reached the top floor of the owlery and entered through a heavy wooden door, that although had a lock, was not kept locked. After all, Nalia thought, why would you need to lock it? It had clearly recently been cleaned out as there was clean sawdust sprinkled on the floor, and very few feathers or owl mess. There must have been at least thirty owls on this one level , and Nalia marvelled at the beauty of all of the owls of different shapes and sizes. From regal Great Grey Owls, to adorable, tiny elf owls, the owlery must have held at least one of every species. Nalia and Tilda were at the back of the group, only just in the door, and suddenly, as Sprout was explaining use of the school owls, from the left hand side, Tilda heard a slight flapping and feint hoot coming from the floor. She looked down and there on the floor, clearly not well, was the most adorable, tiny black and white Pygmy owl. Nalia scooped it up in hands and shouted 'Excuse me, Professor Sprout! I'm sorry too…' 'Yes, yes what is it?' Asked Sprout. Nalia made her way to the front and showed Professor Sprout the owl. 'Poor little thing looks injured. It's not one of the schools, or pupils by the looks. Hmm, you'd better take it to Hagrid, you remember where he is, don't you..Dursley wasn't it? You can catch up with us in the common room, or owl me with any questions if you are too late. I'm sure one of your classmates can fill you in.' 'Yes Professor, May I take Tilda, I mean… Bathilda Bones with me? Only I don't want to get lost.' Nalia asked tentatively, 'Yes, yes alright go on then…', as Professor Sprout finished her sentence, Nalia headed back through the crowd to Tilda. As they were leaving the owlery, Professor Sprout added 'Oh, and Dursley, ten points to Hufflepuff for your kindness and compassion. Bones, 10 points for being so willing and ready to help.' At this, the rest of the first years clapped, Nalia blushed and Tilda half smiled. They thanked Professor Sprout and made their way to the care of Magical Creatures area, which Hagrid's hut was next to.

Hagrid was sat on the steps outside his hut, whittling away at something when the girls arrived. They had wrapped the owl in Nalia's scarf to keep it warm, and they asked Hagrid if he had a minute to help them. 'Well o' course I 'ave! What can I do for ye?'. Nalia filled him in on the situation with the owl, whilst Tilda stood by timidly. 'Aright, come on in and let's take a look at the little fella', said Hagrid as he led them into his hut. His hut was crowded, but in a cosy way. The one room was all Hagrid lived in, so it contained everything from his bed, to his kitchen, with a huge table and chairs right in the middle. Cages of all shapes and sizes hung from the ceiling, but they were all empty. In a corner, lay a dog bed. It was enormous, way to big for the puppy lay in it. The puppy was white, with black patches, it raised its head, wagging its tail as they all came through the door. There was a large collar hanging on a nail above, engraved with the name Fang. Hagrid noticed the girls looking at it. 'Ye that's me old boys collar tha' is, beautiful 'e was, absolutely beautiful' and he welled up again. It struck Nalia that Hagrid thought all animals were beautiful. 'But I got this little'un now' Hagrid said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. The puppy came bounding over to Hagrid. 'E'll grow into his bed, be a big boy 'e will, 'Es only 10 weeks old. Anyway let's take a look at this 'ere owl. On yer bed Cerebus!' and with that, the puppy slunk back to his bed and curled up. He really was huge, he looked to Nalia like a Great Dane.

Nalia placed the owl, still wrapped in her Hufflepuff scarf on the table. Hagrid unwrapped the owl, surprisingly gently given the size of his enormous hands. Hagrid meticulously examined the owl and declared 'Ye 'ell be aliri'. I reckon it was that mangy cat 'o filches. Only animal I've never been able to take to tha' thing…rock cake?'. Tilda and Hagrid then began an interesting discussion about magic creatures, something they were both clearly passionate about, but Nalia wasn't really listening. She was busy thinking how interesting it was that Hagrid should say that about Filch's Cat, given the strange events involving Mr Gibbous that Albus and Scorpius had described at breakfast. 'Anyway, it's nearly lunchtime, you two 'ad better be on yer way so yer can have a proper meal before afternoon lessons. Before yer go though, I don't suppose you'd be able ter look after the little feller would yer?', said Hagrid referring to the owl. 'only, I 'Avn't really got the time or space fer 'I'm, and 'e seems to have taken a shine to you' he continued, talking to Nalia. 'I can give yer a cage,sawdust, bowls and some owl food to get yer started, 'e should be okay, with lots o' fuss. Trus' me, there's nothing more rewardin' than looking after an animal''. Nalia considered it, but in the end couldn't say no. Especially when Lucky jumped out of her pocket, waddled up to the owl, who was wrapped back in the Scarf,nuzzled it, started almost purring and turned Orange. Nalia had come to understand that orange meant happy.

So, it came to pass that the two girls headed up to the castle, carrying a large bird cage, the little owl and all its supplies. They also had an open invitation to come back for tea and biscuits any time, and they were welcome to bring some friends. They both thought the rest of the gang would really like Hagrid, so promised to bring them down one day. They set the owl up in his new cage, between Nalia and Tilda's beds, with water and food. he was so happy wrapped in the scarf that Nalia couldn't bring herself to take it off him, so he went in the cage still wrapped in it. He hooted with contentment, nuzzled down, and fell asleep, with Lucky deciding to join him. They locked the cage and headed down to the great hall for lunch. On the way there, they decided to name the owl Ozzy,

which Nalia thought suited him very much. They were the first of the gang to arrive in the great hall, but were shortly met by Rose, who joined them at the Hufflepuff table. A little while later, Albus and Scorpius came strolling in and joined them. Scorpius chose to sit next to Nalia, which gave her butterflies.

Albus was glad to see Nalia seemed happy on her first day, and she seemed to have made a lovely friend in Tilda. He was very interested to hear about the story of Ozzy the owl, and Hagrid's uncharacteristic dislike of Mr Gibbous. He spent the rest of the day, until the end of lessons thinking. Something about Mr Gibbous was just not sitting well.


	6. The Post Owls

A few weeks passed by without any particularly interesting happenings. Rose, as usual, was excelling In all of her classes and writing at least two more rolls of parchment than was required for any homework she was set. Nalia and Tilda were enjoying their first year classes, with Tilda proving to have a natural flair for Herbology, and Nalia feeling most comfortable in the history of magic class. In her eyes, you could not hope to fully understand something unless you knew it's history. Albus and Scorpius however, Instead of their classes,had been rather more focussed on another matter. The topic of the strange events surrounding Mr Gibbous had proven entirely too tempting for Albus to resist and he had managed to convince Scorpius that they must find out what on earth could be going on.

That morning, as usual, the gang all gathered for breakfast together in the hall. It was an unspoken rule that they always sat at the house table of whoever arrived in the Great Hall first, which just so happened to be Rose that day. The group congregated round the Gryffindor table, looking thoroughly exhausted from their first few weeks of class. They all ate their breakfast whilst having the usual discussions, moaning about the amount of homework being set or Filch, seeing whose house was in the lead for the house cup, the upcoming quidditch team trials and the days lessons. All of a sudden, the morning post owls swooped over with a cacophony of hoots, wing flapping and screeches. The owls brought packages, parcels and letters of every size and shape to the students. Today Albus, Scorpius and Nalia all had post. The first one to arrive was Newt with a letter from Albus's father:

'Albie,

I was glad to get your letter you sent with Newt. I haven't had any owls from the school about your behaviour, so I can only assume you are doing well. Your Mother and I are really pleased with you. I also assume you now know about the Wizarding Championship at Draíocht this year. Are you planning to go?

Also, of course Scorpius can stay with us over Christmas, as long as you're happy to share your room. The auror office is being kept very busy recently so your mother and I have had to turn our spare room into an office so we can work from home should we need too. Rose is coming over for a few days over Christmas too with Auntie Hermione and Uncle Ron, they'll be setting up in the back garden in one of the enchanted tents. Your Gramma Molly and Grandpa Artie will be coming for dinner on the day, so let Scorpius know about the jumper! I am also going to talk to Dudley about Nalia and what their plans are, so she may be staying and sharing with Lil, who by the way, accidentally turned the ferret blue (long story).Hope you and James are looking after each other.

See you soon,

Dad x'

Albus was excited to receive the news that that Scorpius could stay should he want too and asked him there and then. Scorpius was ecstatic at the prospect of spending Christmas somewhere fun and festive with a big family, even more so when Albus informed him of the tradition of everyone who was going to be present being knitted an 'Ugly but surprisingly comfy' Weasley jumper by his Gramma. For Scorpius, Christmas could not come soon enough that year. The next owl to arrive was for Nalia. She had used the school owl to write to her father, even though Ozzy was fully recovered at this point. This was due to the fact that he was simply too young, small and inexperienced. Nalia did not want him to get lost or hurt, especially if as was to be believed, that demon of a cat belonging to Filch was responsible for his original injuries. She had written to her father when she first arrived at Hogwarts, the day after her induction in fact, but had only just heard back. Albus had assured her time and time again that it was fine,that her father was okay and hadn't forgotten her, but was not so certain himself. As a result he was delighted to see Nalia receive her letter.

'Is that from your Dad Nali?' Asked Scorpius gently. 'Yeah' said Nalia between splutters of laughter. 'The reason it took so long is cause he couldn't figure out, and here I quote him directly, 'how to get the infernal bird to take the bloody letter'. He'd been trying to get him to take it in his beak but obviously the owl refused. He didn't realise he had to tie the letter to its leg, I forgot to mention that!'. Albus could just imagine the look on Dudley's face when the owl arrived outside his window, let alone whilst he was trying to figure out what to do when he realised he couldn't use muggle post to respond. He imagined it looked something like watching monkeys use tools for the first time. He was still being amused by this imagery when Autumn came crashing from the ceiling into the large pot of porridge on the table, much to the amusement of everyone present. 'Keep telling dad she can't land properly with heavy stuff' Scorpius muttered, his pale complexion turning slightly pink. After wiping Autumn down with a napkin and checking she was okay, with a concerned Newt cooing over her, Scorpius opened his package.

There was a note that simply said 'Dad' and under It was a travel case full of expensive gifts. Sweets from honeydukes, gold encrusted dragon hide gloves, a brand new sneakoscope, pumpkin juice, a gem encrusted Herbology set and brand new dress robes from Madam Malkins'. Scorpius did not look enthusiastic about the gifts and Albus actually felt sorry for him. He would much rather get a loving letter like the one he had got from his father than expensive gifts with nothing more than the word 'dad'. Scorpius clearly felt the same way. To cheer him up, the gang agreed to meet in the Hufflepuff common room (as it was the cosiest and closest to the kitchen) after class to study and have a catch up. Albus also had planned to try and get the others on board with a way of finding out more about Mr Gibbous. he had been formulating for a while. They must dog out what secrets Filch and Mr Gibbous were hiding and a guaranteed way to do that was to break Into his office, but doing so would not be easy. When Filch wasn't guarding his office, Mr Gibbous usually was skulking about somewhere near, so Albus and Scorpius would need some help.

That evening, once classes were over, Albus and Scorpius made their way from the Herbology greenhouses to the Hufflepuff common room. Whilst they were walking, they chatted about potions the next day. It would be the first potions class of the year, with Professor Slughorn, also their head of house. He had a reputation of being a 'collector' of promising students and as Harry Potter's son, Albus was a prime target. Scorpius was also desirable as someone who had shown a considerable aptitude for potions and the Malfoy's had always been an influential family. Horace Slughorn observed students throughout their first year for talent ,then tried to get them in the 'Slug club' during the following year. Quite frankly, Albus could not think of anything worse than sitting in the potions classroom with a load of other promising students and being forced to make small talk with them over food. They were just discussing deliberately sabotaging their potions, or using exploding cauldrons from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes rather than their proper ones, when they arrived at the stack of barrels just past the kitchens that concealed the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. 'Erm...Scorp…which barrel do we need to tap again' asked Albus. 'Oh no, you haven't forgotten have you? I was talking to Nali when Tilda told you…. erm' responded Scorpius. They tried tapping the required knock (to the tune of Helga Hufflepuff) on the top left barrel. This resulted in a rather large load of vinegar exploding onto them, drenching their robes, so the boys were somewhat less than impressed.

Just then, clearly more amused by the vinegar soaking than the boys, Nalia and Tilda came round the corner and started giggling. 'Wrong barrel by any chance boys?' Nalia chortled, and Scorpius went bright red. Smelling of vinegar at this precise moment was not ideal, it was covering the smell of his Welsh Green Dragon Mist aftershave. Albus muttered something about the barrels being 'a stupid way to get into a common room' and stepped aside so the girls could let them in. Nalia gently rapped 'Hel-ga Huf-fle-puff' on the barrel that was two from the bottom, in the middle of the second row. The front of the barrels all swung forward simultaneously, to revel a passageway with a steep incline. 'Luckily for you I'm sure Dedrius will lend you some clothes, so you don't stick out the common room' smirked Nalia, still very amused by vinegarageddon. The boys both mumbled something along the lines of a 'thanks' and they all ascended up the steep incline to the common room, where Rose was already waiting, helping a Hufflepuff with their transfiguration homework.


End file.
